The Bonds of Teammates
by Rubik's Cubed
Summary: The bonds forged by teammates are complicated things. They have the potential to push people together or force them apart. A fic about the bonds shared by Team Seven.


This has been written for the longest time, and I finally decided to post it, although I was hesitant to because I feel like something feels off about it. _The end seems...almost non-existent. Or like it doesn't belong with the rest of it. Anyways, after multiple failed attempts to make this a little more cohesive, I decided to just post it and see how it went. Please do let me know what you think._

EDIT: I added to the original ending, which I think helps a bit more, but I still think it is lacking in...something.

You know I don't own it.

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None of them understood. No one. They just couldn't leave well enough alone. Why they didn't get it was beyond him. Hell, he only made it clear as fucking glass. He didn't want their company, didn't need their comradeship. He'd do fine on his own, better than fine actually, because all they did was hinder his progress, anyway.

He used to rely on others, but that was before. When he'd been weak enough to feel. Ever since that day that Itachi made him see how weak he really was, he vowed to become strong, to become an avenger. He swore on his clan's honor to destroy what had destroyed them. With this as his driving force to live, he couldn't allow himself to form bonds, because they might distract him from the goal. And no one would get in his way, because he wouldn't allow it.

Sakura didn't understand. Why didn't Sasuke like her? He barely even acknowledged her. But that didn't stop her, if anything it made her more determined to get him to see her as the beautiful kunoichi she really was (because that's what she was, wasn't she?). She understood how he felt, really she did. Or so she thought. But no one could understand, unless he wanted them to, which he didn't.

Each declaration of love she bestows upon him serves only to further annoy him, so he turns away more and more each time. And each time he turns away fuels her determination. It was a vicious cycle with no end in sight, at least according to Sasuke. But to Sakura, well she was sure that any day Sasuke would confess his own feelings to her (he was only waiting to be sure she was sincere about it, right?), because surely he liked her. Most everyone did, after all.

But what she didn't get was that Sasuke wasn't like anyone she'd known before, and he wasn't fooled into believing she loved him, not for a second. He knew everyone was the same. All they had to offer was pity, and that's not what he wanted. He wanted power, something which no one in Konoha was equipped to give. But that didn't matter, either. Because he'd go to any lengths to achieve that power.

Sakura knew Sasuke wanted revenge and she knew he craved the power, but eventually, he'd realize that he was better off restoring his clan. (Then she'd finally be his bride, wouldn't she?) But she watched him falling deeper into the trap. Retreating into his mind to plan out his quest for power and ultimately, revenge. And it worried her (he always worried her, but never so much as then), because she began to realize, to understand that he was distancing himself to make it easier for him to leave. And she didn't know whether to leave him be or confront him.

And as much as Sakura wants Sasuke to be happy, she wants him to be happy with her. And as her hopes of a future with him crashes around her, Sakura still tries. She tries to convince Sasuke that even though he doesn't love her, she doesn't care, because as long as she would be allowed to love him and be with him, she'd help him restore his clan and become more powerful.

And, as she spoke, he failing to be convinced, she could feel herself slowly losing hope, a feeling only justified when she woke up cold and sore from her night of unrest.

She felt like she couldn't think anymore, except to remember that night. And that wasn't so much thinking as it was a compulsion now. Trying to find a sign in their conversation, anything to show that he cared, no matter how flimsy or minuscule it was. But as she found none, she ceased looking and started deteriorating.

And she didn't know what she ever did to deserve this, but whatever it was...and then it hit her. Oh God, Naruto. She realized then exactly what she did. She was exactly like Sasuke in her own way and shit, she hated herself right now. How she could be so blind, she didn't know. (But she had seen, hadn't she?) No, she hadn't been blind, she'd just had selective sight. She saw what she wanted to; nothing more and nothing less. Maybe that's why she did it. She'd seen the ever-growing bond between Naruto and Sasuke, maybe that's why she'd tried so damn hard to ignore his existence.

But, God, did she regret it now. How hurtful she'd been, deliberately hurtful and even if part of it was Sasuke's fault, most of the blame lay within herself. And she so admired Naruto now, seeing him in her mind's eye standing there, swearing to do his best, promising to bring Sasuke back for her. Risking his life just to bring him back and devoting himself to become better for the sole purpose of this mission. She decided then and there that she was going to devote herself to do the same. No longer would she be the helpless girl forced to rely on her comrades. She would become strong and though it wouldn't be instant, one day she'd be strong and beautiful. And she would prove to Sasuke that she wasn't useless and Naruto and she would bring him back...together. Whether he wanted them to or not, because they loved him too much to relinquish him to that snake-bastard. And until that day came, she resolved to work just as hard as Naruto, until the day that she was strong, too.

As the two remaining members of Team Seven continued to train together, they slowly got to know each other through their teamwork. Now that she could see Naruto, really see him, she realized that he wasn't so bad. In fact, he was even quite attractive as a person. And she wasn't sure when it had happened, but she realized that somewhere along the way, he'd stopped asking her for dates. All of a sudden, she realized how much she missed it, because she liked it, liked him actually. And one day after a particularly hard day of training, she'd told him so.

He'd taken a moment to react (he always had been a bit dense), but when he had, he'd shot her one of his million dollar smiles and let out a shout of triumph. Something about his reaction didn't ring true to Sakura, but she shook it off, attributing it to exhaustion and his unwillingness to show it. Since then, the two had begun to date and it had become a steady thing. Within a month, Sakura knew that they just wouldn't work.

The obstacle to their potential relationship was, not for the first time, Sasuke. But this time, it wasn't Sakura's obsession with him that would prevent anything from happening, but Naruto's. Anyone in the village could see the weird bond the two had shared when he was still in the village, they just might not have been able to guess how deep it ran. Even Sakura hadn't realized, not until now that is. She wasn't even sure that Naruto himself was completely aware of it. What she did know was that this thing that she and him had going on (whatever it was) had to stop.

Sakura knew that telling Naruto wouldn't exactly be easy, but she also knew that it was something that just had to be done. "Look, Naruto, let's talk." she'd said gently one night while he was walking her back to her house. He'd stopped dead in his tracks right there. "Does this mean that this is the end?" he'd asked, blunt as ever. Sakura gave a wistful smile before answering, "Naruto, I think we both know that we're better off as friends and teammates than we are as this."

Ever the comedian, he'd answered with a trace of humor, "Oh, so that's it, then? I get the 'better as friends' speech? I thought you would've come up with something more original than that for me."

Sakura smiled despite herself. He'd become quite skilled at making her smile, even in her worst moods. "Naruto," she said in complete seriousness, "you may have liked me once, but not anymore. I mean, face it: when I told you I liked you, how did you feel?"

Naruto struggled for words, "I was...well, happy of course. It was like my dreams come true, except..." he trailed off, unsure of how to finish.

"That's what I mean, Naruto," Sakura said, hating the feel of the tell-tale burning behind her eyelids.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura." The blonde squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to face the hurt in her eyes. "I never meant to-"

Sakura cut him off, "I know. And you may not see it now, but the reason you're training so hard to bring Sasuke back...isn't me. Maybe at one point it was, but not anymore. You're doing it for him, as well as yourself." Sakura knew that at any minute, the moisture welling up in her eyes would come cascading down her and she told him to go home, she could take care of herself.

Naruto was either still too surprised to question her or he recognized it as the escape she was using it as. He turned away, muttering a hurried good night and another apology in her direction before walking away.

Sakura continued walking in the direction of her house, silent tears now streaming down her face. But even through her tears, she gave a half-hearted smile. Naruto and Sasuke were like family to her and she knew that they alone could bring each other some semblance of true happiness. And who was she stand in the way of that? Because even if it hurt a bit, it was sacrifices like that that bonded them together, even if their bond was of a slightly different nature than she wanted.

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If you think that ending was bad, you should've seen where I originally ended it. What a nightmare! Anyways, please let me know any suggestions you have that may improve my writing skills, because as I stated at the beginning, I find them lacking in some way that I can't quite pinpoint. Thanks for reading.


End file.
